Dom Sovietov

Kaliningrad

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One of the dourest, ugliest of Soviet creations, the upright H-shaped Dom Sovietov (closed to the public) has been nicknamed 'the monster' by locals. On this site stood a magnificent 1255 castle, damaged during WWII but dynamited out of existence by narrow-minded Soviet planners in 1967–68 to rid the city of a flagrant reminder of its Germanic past.

Over 10 long years this eyesore was built in the castle's place, but it has never even been used. Money ran out, and it was discovered that the land below was hollow, with a (now-flooded) four-level underground passage connecting to the cathedral.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Irbensky, floating lighthouse, museum ship in exposition of Museum of World Ocean over backdrop of Planet Ocean exhibition building on the Pregolya River.

    Museum of the World Ocean

    0.54 MILES

    Strung along the banks of the Pregolya River are several ships, a submarine, maritime machinery and exhibition halls that together make up this excellent…

  • The Amber Museum, inside the Dohna Tower.

    Amber Museum

    0.96 MILES

    Housed in the 19th-century Dohna Tower on the southern shore of the Upper Pond (Верхний пруд), this is a terrific introduction to…

  • Kurshskaya Kosa National Park

    Kurshskaya Kosa National Park

    24.03 MILES

    The 98km-long Curonian Spit, a Unesco World Heritage Site, divides the tranquil Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. Here, tall, windswept sand dunes and…

  • Kaliningrad Cathedral

    Kaliningrad Cathedral

    0.24 MILES

    Photos displayed inside this Unesco World Heritage site attest to how dilapidated the cathedral was until the early 1990s – the original dates back to…

  • Becker Park

    Becker Park

    25.54 MILES

    Enjoy a picnic in this park that stretches along the headland above the beach in the centre of Yantarny. Enter from behind the Schloss Hotel.

  • History & Arts Museum

    History & Arts Museum

    0.35 MILES

    Housed in a reconstructed 1912 concert hall built on the banks of the pretty Lower Pond (Нижний пруд), this museum features an impressive diorama upstairs…

  • Kant Island & Riverside

    Kant Island & Riverside

    0.26 MILES

    This once densely populated island – now a parkland dotted with sculptures – is dominated by the Kaliningrad Cathedral. A few nearby buildings – the…

  • Altes Haus

    Altes Haus

    1.75 MILES

    This unique museum is housed in a 1912-era apartment house, which has been restored to its former state of early-20th-century Königsberg glory and stuffed…

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Nearby Kaliningrad attractions

1. Kant's Tomb

0.23 MILES

Noted philosopher and Kaliningrad native Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) is buried along the northern edge of the exterior of Kaliningrad Cathedral on Kant…

2. Kaliningrad Cathedral

0.24 MILES

Photos displayed inside this Unesco World Heritage site attest to how dilapidated the cathedral was until the early 1990s – the original dates back to…

3. Bunker Museum

0.25 MILES

The city’s last German commander, Otto Lasch, capitulated to the Soviets from this subterranean command post on 9 April 1945, following the bloody Battle…

4. Kant Island & Riverside

0.26 MILES

This once densely populated island – now a parkland dotted with sculptures – is dominated by the Kaliningrad Cathedral. A few nearby buildings – the…

5. Honey Bridge

0.29 MILES

This short footbridge connects Kant Island to the Fish Village. It's said to be the oldest bridge in Kaliningrad.

6. New Synagogue

0.3 MILES

One of three synagogues in Königsberg, the 1896 New Synagogue was destroyed in the aftermath of the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938. It was rebuilt,…

7. Kant Statue

0.32 MILES

Philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) was born in Königsberg, where he also studied, taught and later died. The Kant Statue is in the front yard of the…